Shadow Daedalus

Fallout: War for the Commonwealth

Soulless red lenses glowed softly in the darkness of the abandoned building, the occasional streak of light breaking though the boarded windows and illuminating narrow strips of the rooms within. Atlas stepped down the darkened hallways one step at a time, his modified .44 in his left hand, until he drew closer to the room ahead. The only light came from a roaring fire in the middle of the room, and four figures were standing around it, all wearing rusted scrap metal on their arms legs and torso with markings painted across their faces. Raiders. Three men, one woman, one dog resting at her feet. He raised the revolver and clicked the safety off, catching one of the men's attention. the Raider froze in shock for a moment before Atlas squeezed the trigger and a high-calibre pistol round exploded out of the barrel of the weapon, replacing his head with a shower of red mist and bloody gristle. The other three scrambled for their weapons, only to be met by a similar fate. One shot to the heart of the first man, one the head of the second, one tearing out the woman's neck and two into the charging dog, one to slow it down and another to finish the creature.

With a practised hand, he ejected the spent bullet casings, loading six fresh rounds as they clinked softly to the ground. Sliding the gun back onto the holster on his leg, he pushed open the door to the outside. He covered his eyes as the sun overwhelmed his night vision before he flicked it off, the glow of his lenses disappearing the morning sun. Without a word, he set off to Tenpines Bluff. Home, for now.

As he drew closer to the front gate, he stopped for a second, watching people come and go for a moment. His eyes settled on a redhead trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible and he gained an expression somewhere between a frown and curiosity, although leaning more towards the latter. It was strange to see her again, seeing as the Gunners had stopped trying to recruit him a while ago. The fact she was wearing what equated to civilian clothing and none of the other guards were attacking on sight, however, meant she wasn't a threat, so he just shook his head and continued walking. He nodded to the tin-can cowboy as he passed, having run into him a few times (thankful not from the other end of their guns), before stepping into the settlement proper, and leaning against a building a short distance from the redhead from before. He didn't say anything, instead pulling off his Elite Riot Helmet and taking one of the Nuka-colas out of his Pipboy, popping the cap with his armoured hand and tilting it to his lips. He rolled the cap in his fingers before pocketing it and taking another mouthful.

Fallout: War for the Commonwealth

@Ghost ShadowI've been busy, but I'm working on my IC now. I'll post it and then maybe we can collab

Pokemon Gijinka [Always Accepting!]

@Holy Soldier I was going to have Honedge with Arclady, but I forgot to mention you in the IC post. Did you see that post?

Fallout: War for the Commonwealth

@Burning Kitty Are you aware that you keep switching between pronouns in your posts? Sometimes it's he/his/him and other times it's she/hers/her.

Fate/True - A Grail War Role Playing Game

A long bell rang out across a seemingly nondescript school in Fuyuki, Japan, signalling the end of the school day. Students began to pack up, and one brown-haired girl did the same, pulling out a pair of headphones and putting on the newest album from one of the pop bands popular at the time. She smiled and waved goodbye to her friends as they all went their separate ways, slipping on her headphones and heading off herself. As she walked, she was soon alone. With a final glance around, she removed the headphones from her ears and placed them around her neck.

"It's nearly time, isn't Caster?"

With that, the figure of a man seemed to materialise beside her. He appeared to be in his late twenties, wearing a modern suit and longcoat with a dark red tie, a grey scarf draped over his shoulders.

"Indeed, master. The preparations for your travel to Judea are ready, so we can leave whenever you think is best."
"Caaaaasteeeerrr! I told you to call me 'Rena'! Master makes me feel like an old man!"

The man laughed and smiled at the girl.

"Of course, Rena."
"Hmmph, better... Wait, are you doing that on purpose?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about..."

Rena pouted at him, but Caster just smiled and ruffled her hair. She smiled back, and from a distance the pair looked almost like a father and daughter as they walked alongside each other. As they walked, they talked about not one thing in particular, ranging from the Grail War to Rena' maths homework, until they finally arrived at Rena's home. Slipping off their shoes, as per Japanese custom, the younger girl loudly announced her return. Her mother poked her head around the door and smiled at the pair.

"Good, you're just in time, I was about get started on dinner. Caster, can you come and help?"
"Of course, Ms. Thorne."
"I told you to call me Victoria."
"Funny, Rena said almost the same thing."

The girl in question laughed as she followed the two adults into the living room. In any normal situation, it would have been unusual to see a Servant of the Grail War helping out in the kitchen, but Rena smiled as he removed his coat and scarf, tucked his tie into his shirt and rolled up his sleeves. She thought back to when she had first summoned him two weeks ago. Her mother had been understandably worried, but she had adjusted quickly, and was glad for the help around the house. As the two of them busied with the cooking, Rena turned to gaze out of the window, at the grey clouds forming overhead. Her thoughts returned to the Grail War, and her wish. Somewhere, her brother was alive. She knew it, and she wanted nothing more than to bring him home safe.

"James, wherever you are, stay safe..."

---

A loud thud echoed though an abandoned book shop in a forgotten part of a town no-one cares about as the body of a man, a blond in his mid twenties, slammed into one of the dusty old bookcases, swiftly followed by a black-gloved hand punching him across the left-hand side of his face. His black-haired assailant grabbed him by the front of the jacket and threw him sideways, causing him to stumble to the ground before He scrambled to his feet, quickly pulling a matchstick out of his pocket and snapping it between his fingers as he quickly mumbled some words as quickly as he could. A ball of fire gathered in his hand and he quickly tossed it at his assassin as he stumbled back. The ebon-haired male, a man barely reaching his twenties, leaned to the side as it streaked past him, slamming against the dusty wall behind him instead. He slipped an engraved lighter out of his pocket and flipped it open in his right hand as his left hand began to draw a combat knife from the back of his belt. Striking the ignition on his lighter, both men chanted a stream of quiet words. The blond man launched a volley of burning projectiles that arced towards the black-haired man as teal flames danced along his right arm before he waved his arm and a wave of teal flames streaked away from him. The fireballs smashed against the teal flames and dissipated as books caught alight but didn't burn. Small patches of teal flames were left behind on the floor and bookcases, yet they seemed unaffected by the almost ghostly fires. With another quick chant, he thrust his hand out as a jet of teal flames shot from his palm, engulfing the other man. The blond man screamed in pain as he felt his magic circuits burning before the black-haired assailant stomp-kicked him in the chest. He barely had time to blink as the knife was impaled into his heart, so he stood in shock for a moment before the light in his eyes went out and he slid down the wall with a bloody trail on the wall behind him. The assassin looked at his cooling corpse for a moment before he grabbed the collar of his shirt, adjusted the grip on the knife and set to work.

-=-=-

Checking the image in his notes against the magic circle he has just 'drawn', the now-blood covered assassin nodded once to himself and he took a step back. His previous target's much paler corpse lay discarded a small distance away, and cold bullet casings lay strewn across the cold floor, two empty pistols discarded among them with teal fires still flickering intermittently across the floors and book cases. Looking over the battle-torn shop again, he retrieved his pistol, ejecting the empty magazine and loading a fresh one before he turned back to the magic circle, pulling out a small notebook from his pocket. His foot knocked against something, knocking it into the circle, but he ignored it as he reviewed his notes on the ritual and placed the book back into his pocket. Closing his eyes and taking a long breath, he lit one of his black cigarettes before opening his eyes and activating his magic circuits again with a strike of his lighter and a flicker of teal flame.

"Let's get this over with..."

-=-=-

As the light from circle died down, the first thing the assassin was the way the man at its centre seemed to personify the word 'hunter'. He was clad in a worn duster coat with a slim, weathered tricorn on his head and a cloth covering his face. Two belts crossed his torso, one across the waist and the over crossing from shoulder to hip, with loops and buckles for equipment to be stored. He had no weapons on his person, but the quiver of crossbow bolts at his waste seemed fairly indicative of his fighting style, with sheathes for blades and rudimentary firearms shedding more light on the man's versatility in combat. Finally, the man opened his eyes to reveal red-tinted hazel irises that soon meet with the black-haired assassin's stone grey.

"I am the Servant, Archer. I have come as summoned, so are you my Master?"

The assassin looked at the Servant, his Servant, and the corner of his lips raised in a small smirk. He could feel a slight burning sensation coming from his left wrist but ignored it, remembering something about Command Seals.

"James Thorne. And I believe that I am."

The Titan War

James North

Name - James Gawain North

Alias - Arma ('Weapon' in Latin)

Appearance

Uniform

Cybernetic Arm

Cybernetic Eye

Standing at 6'01" with a slim but well-muscled build from intensive training. His left arm is a cybernetic replacement forged from the same Bio-alloy found on the Titan, and his left eye is replaced by a cybernetic version as well, crossed by a deep scar that claimed his real eye.

Faction - ex-HOH (Deserter), now CODC

Motivation - Seeking revenge on HOH High Command, James turned on his allies within the [ARMA] Program, destroying the whole program and fleeing to CODC Space. Having been a soldier for so long, He enlisted with the CODC Fleet and was assigned to the SS Warlord as Electronic Warfare Specialist, or in laymen's terms, a hacker.

Personality - Cold, precise and efficient. James has been a soldier on the wrong side of the war for far too long. He's become completely desensitised to things that would make a morally 'good' person turn away in shame, and is capable of acts completely devoid of morality. He is far from evil, but he can be completely heartless if it means accomplishing the mission. Since joining the CODC Fleet, however, he had began to soften as a person, and anyone asks, he would describe it like 'reclaiming his heart, piece by piece.'

History - Raised on a HOH-held Colony World, James was conscripted at barely 16 into the occupying forces. To ensure compliance, the world's populace was put into 'protective custody', with any disobedient soldiers being forced to watch their families being executed before being killed themselves. James was a brilliant soldier, and after receiving wounds that took his left arm and left eyes, he was soon sorted into an experimental Black-Ops, Electronic Warfare Program called the [ARMA] Program. The program was designed to use technology salvaged from the mysterious Titan to improve the effectiveness of their ground units. He was given a new cybernetic arm and eye made from bio-alloy, and trained in improved combat techniques. His cybernetic arm allowed him to hack and control any electronic device he touched, which then allowed him to learn the truth: His family had been killed a year after he had left for service. He turned on his former allies and destroyed the entire [ARMA] Program, salvaging what he could and destroying the rest. Using a hacked Corvette, he fled to CODC Space, and surrendered. Once he was finally cleared of suspicion, he enlisted in the CODC Fleet and was assigned to the SS Warlord. He is now 24 years old.

Skills -

• Hacking/Computer Manipulation: Knows his way around a computer system, software or hardware, better than almost anyone else. If you can hack it, James will do it in a fraction of the time.
• Small Arms Marksmanship: Trained as Spec-Ops Infiltrator, he's a jack-of-all trades when it comes to small-arms guns, but he favours assault rifles and handguns.

RWBY: Chronicle of Vault.

Venator Aurea

Lustre Academy, Dining Hall
_{@CadenGallic@Sho Minazuki}

---

"Accident? From what I saw, not likely." Once he was sure the two of them weren't going to go for each other's throats, Venator dropped his arms and turned to Silas with a hard look. "While I agree with you that they shouldn't fight here, I also agree with Asher. It's your lack of discipline that lead to this, which at best was lapse of judgement or at worst a poor standard for leadership. If you can't get your team under control, I don't doubt something like this will happen again, and I know where I'll be standing when it does." As he spoke, he took a slight step closer to Asher, his body language confirming his words. As much as he'd like to play peacekeeper, Venator knew where he stood if he had to pick a side. "Look, I'd prefer to settle this quickly. We say our piece, get it over with. Blondy other there agrees to be less of an asshole, we all drop the issue. Deal?"

RWBY: Chronicle of Vault.

@CadenGallic@Sho Minazuki Ven is more interested in stopping a fight before it starts, but if push came to shove he'd be backing Asher. He saw what happened, so he's biased against Terrance

The Titan War

Name - James Gawain North

Alias - Arma ('Weapon' in Latin)

Appearance

Standing at 6'01" with a slim but well-muscled build from intensive training. His left arm is a cybernetic replacement forged from the same Bio-alloy found on the Titan, and his left eye is replaced by a cybernetic version as well, crossed by a deep scar that claimed his real eye.

Faction - ex-HOH (Deserter), now CODC

Motivation - Seeking revenge on HOH High Command, James turned on his allies within the [ARMA] Program, destroying the whole program and fleeing to CODC Space. Having been a soldier for so long, He enlisted with the CODC Fleet and was assigned to the SS Warlord as Electronic Warfare Specialist.

Personality - Cold, precise and efficient. James has been a soldier on the wrong side of the war for far too long. He's become completely desensitised to things that would make a morally 'good' person turn away in shame, and is capable of acts completely devoid of morality. He is far from evil, but he can be completely heartless if it means accomplishing the mission. Since joining the CODC Fleet, however, he had began to soften as a person, and anyone asks, he would describe it like 'reclaiming his heart, piece by piece.'

History - Raised on a HOH-held Colony World, James was conscripted at barely 16 into the occupying forces. To ensure compliance, the world's populace was put into 'protective custody', with any disobedient soldiers being forced to watch their families being executed before being kill themselves. James was a brilliant soldier, and after receiving wounds that took his left arm and left eyes, he was soon sorted into an experimental Black-Ops, Electronic Warfare Program called the [ARMA] Program. The program was designed to use technology salvaged from the mysterious Titan to improve the effectiveness of their ground units. He was given a new cybernetic arm and eye made from bio-alloy, and trained in improved combat techniques. His cybernetic arm allowed him to hack and control any electronic device he touched, which then allowed him to learn the truth: His family had been killed a year after he had left for service. He turned on his former allies and destroyed the entire [ARMA] Program, salvaging what he could and destroying the rest. Using a hacked Corvette, he fled to CODC Space, and surrendered. Once he was finally cleared of suspicion, he enlisted in the CODC Fleet and was assigned to the SS Warlord. He is now 24 years old.

Skills -

• Hacking/Computer Manipulation: Knows his way around a computer system, software or hardware, better than almost anyone else. If you can hack it, James will do it in a fraction of the time.
• Small Arms Marksmanship: Trained as Spec-Ops Infiltrator, he's a jack-of-all trades when it comes to guns, but he favours assault rifles and handguns.

Pokemon Gijinka [Always Accepting!]

Shadow looked sullenly at the red and white ball in his hand as he walked into Viridian City with Luvdisc behind him. He placed it onto his own belt, next to Luvdisc's, and looked up in an attempt to locate the police station, spotting it quickly. He gestured to the pink-haired girl, who looked just as sullen, and the pair of them entered the station. They quickly spotted Officer Sholtz from the door, Arclady and the Bouffalant from before standing not far away, talking. As the pair drew closer, the human caught on to their presence and looked towards them but neither of them said a word until Shadow placed a pokeball into the officer's palm and two belts of pokeballs at his feet.

"That's Luvdisc's Pokeball, and the rest of the missing ones. Find their trainers, or someone else to take of them. The two humans you missed, with the mullet and the slicked back hair, are unconscious along the road somewhere. Find them quickly, or they might not wake up."

With that, he left the station alone, leaving the three police members in shock as he walked out and turned into an alley before he slumped down, looking out into the street. He pulled out the remaining pokeball on his belt, his own, as he thought back to his last moments with his trainer:

---

"Do you like the name Didi? I hope we get to be good friends!"

Alexis smiled at Luvdisc and her arms to hug her, the girl had gave a small nod and went to return it but instead phased though her. Both girls were surprised and Shadow had looked at her in concern. Her skin faded slightly and Shadow grabbed her hand, only to have his eyes widen in shock. Alexis suddenly went from surprised to almost relieved.

"I remember now... I died 2 years ago. I had a medical condition, but I really wanted to be a Pokemon Trainer and win my first battle... So I didn't move on when I died..." She looked at Shadow and Luvdisc with a sad smile. "I know It wasn't long, but I loved being your trainer. I had fun... So, thank you. For everything."

It was hard for Shadow to speak. He was never an emotional person, but now his words were stuck in his throat. "Alexis, I... I couldn't have asked for a better trainer... Thank you..." With that, the ghostly trainer gave them one last smile before she faded away entirely, leaving behind two pokeballs, his and Luvdisc's. Shadow picked them up with a sad gaze before before he clipped them both onto his belt and began to walk in the direction of Viridian City, Luvdisc in tow.

They weren't walking for long before two familiar people stepped out in front of them.
"Well if it isn't the brat I 'found', and that emo kid that beat her!" The gangster with the Mullet sneered.
“And look at that! The creepy black-haired bitch isn't here! Whadda ya say we catch them again, and make 'em work for us? That sword-guy was real pain in the ass last time!” The Gangster with the slicked back hair suggested.

Luvdisc shrank a little in fear but Shadow, however, just kept on walking as he hadn't heard them. He stopped about a foot away, and said a single word. "Move."

Mullet leaned down to get into his face. "What was tha..." He didn't have time to finish his sentence as Shadow grabbed his face and his friend's too, forcibly drawing the life from his body. Their eyes rolled back into their heads as they fell to their knees unconscious before he let them go, to fall face first into the dirt road. He wasted no time unbuckling the belts of pokeballs and continuing on his way, belts in hand, as Luvdisc hurried to catch up.

---

Shadow drew himself from his thoughts to continue watching the street, a hollow look in his eyes. He watched people, both trainers and Pokemon in their humanoid forms, as they passed before he closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. He didn't have anywhere to go, but he just didn't care. So he stayed there, leaning against the wall, and waited.